Ingredients
| 1 tablespoon raw sugar | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| ½ cup apple cider vinegar | |
| 2 star anise | |
| 3 firm peaches | |
| 2 onions, quartered | |
| 2 carrots, halved lengthways | |
| 2 ribs of celery, halved, plus another 5 ribs (approx 300g celery), preferably white inner ribs, finely sliced | |
| 1 tablespoon juniper berries, lightly crushed | |
| 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, parsley, thyme) | |
| 6 beef short ribs (about 3kg), cut into separate rib pieces | |
| 150ml red wine | |
| 500ml beef stock | |
| 1 large fennel bulb | |
| 3 tablespoons lemon juice | |
| 4 tablespoon good-quality mayonnaise | |
| 4 tablespoon crème fraîche | |
| 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard | |
| 1 clove garlic, crushed | |
| 1 tablespoon capers | |
| 2 anchovies | |
| 2 cups small nasturtium leaves or chopped rocket plus small leaves to garnish | |
| ¼ cup parsley, chopped | |
| 4 tablespoons olive oil | |
| thinly sliced radishes & nasturtium flowers, to serve |
Ribs are an essential part of the Scandinavian Christmas Eve meal. These are usually lamb or pork, but I have used meatier beef short ribs. Slow-cooked a day or so before and quickly heated just before serving, they are super convenient. They are meaty, so they can stretch to eight or more people, but you would not get a rib each. If you forage your nasturtiums, choose small leaves, wash them carefully and avoid picking from areas frequented by dogs. Rocket makes a perfect substitute if you prefer.
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Instructions
| 1. | Put the sugar, salt and vinegar into a small saucepan and heat to dissolve the sugar. |
| 2. | Add the star anise and leave to cool. |
| 3. | Cut the peaches into a small dice, removing the skin if you prefer, put in a container with the vinegar mix and stir well. |
| 4. | Refrigerate overnight, or for up to five days, stirring occasionally. |
| 5. | Heat the oven to 150°C. |
| 6. | Arrange the onions, carrots, 2 ribs of celery, juniper berries and bouquet garni in the bottom of a roasting dish that will fit the ribs, and set aside. |
| 7. | Pat the ribs dry with kitchen paper, trim off excess fat and season with salt and pepper. |
| 8. | Brown the ribs in batches, fat-side down first, in a very large flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. |
| 9. | Arrange on top of the vegetables and set aside. |
| 10. | Add the wine to the pan in which you browned the ribs, bring it to the boil and let it bubble for a few minutes, then pour in the stock and 100ml water and bring to the boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. |
| 11. | Pour the liquid over the short ribs. |
| 12. | Cover tightly with foil or a lid and cook for 1½ hours. |
| 13. | Remove from the oven, turn the ribs, then cover again and cook for a further 1 hour until they are very tender. |
| 14. | Transfer the ribs to a new roasting tray and spoon over a few spoonfuls of the stock, then cover and refrigerate. |
| 15. | Strain the stock into a saucepan, discarding the veges and herbs, bring to the boil and boil for about 30 minutes to reduce to about one-third. |
| 16. | Cool, then transfer to a container and chill until needed. |
| 17. | For the remoulade, cut off the fennel tops and set aside for the salsa and garnish. |
| 18. | Slice the fennel bulb thinly, put in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and mix well. |
| 19. | Add the 5 ribs of finely sliced celery, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, mustard and a little salt and combine. |
| 20. | Set aside for up to 3 hours. |
| 21. | To make the salsa verde, put the garlic, capers, anchovies and remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the bowl of a small food processor and process until blended (or pound in a mortar and pestle). |
| 22. | Add the nasturtium leaves or rocket, the parsley and 2 tablespoons of the fennel tops and blend, drizzling in the olive oil until you have a coarse sauce. |
| 23. | Season with salt and pepper. |
| 24. | Refrigerate until needed, pressing plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent oxidation. It will keep for up to 3 days. |
| 25. | To glaze the ribs, remove them from the fridge, place in one layer in a roasting dish and bring to room temperature. |
| 26. | Heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 27. | Discard the fat from the top of the reduced stock, then heat the stock in a small pan. |
| 28. | Spoon over the ribs, then place in the oven for 20 minutes, brushing halfway through with more glaze. |
| 29. | Arrange the hot short ribs on a serving dish with the remoulade, pickled peaches and salsa, and garnish with nasturtium leaves, flowers, radishes and fennel fronds. |
| 30. | Serve with new or mashed potatoes. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Tony Nyberg / Styling Fiona Lascelles
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